Over 1 Lakh Register For Maharashtra Innovation Challenge
The ‘Seva First Innovation Challenge’ was conceptualised by Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Maharashtra’s Minister for Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Zone innovation competition, organised by the state government’s Department of Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation under the ‘Seva First Innovation Challenge’, has received a total of 1,07,603 registrations, of which 71,532 are from Maharashtra.
A total of 16,057 innovative ideas have been submitted by participants from Maharashtra, Goa, Chhattisgarh, and Daman and Diu. Of these, 13,367 ideas have come from Maharashtra alone.
The ‘Seva First Innovation Challenge’ was conceptualised by Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Maharashtra’s Minister for Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The initiative aims to transform young people’s creativity into practical solutions across 10 sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, defence, education and emerging technologies.
Mr Lodha said 50 winners would each receive work orders worth Rs 10 lakh, for which a fund of Rs 5 crore had been allocated. “An innovation fair will be organised in Mumbai or Nagpur towards the end of November, with around 3,000 people expected to attend. The winners will be felicitated at the event. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to attend the innovation fair, and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also written to him in this regard,” he said.
The minister said committees headed by district collectors had been constituted in every district to identify the winners. “Participants have submitted innovative concepts across various sectors, including 1,983 ideas in agriculture, 1,976 in energy and climate change, 1,759 in education and employment, and 1,610 in artificial intelligence, blockchain and other emerging technologies, among other fields,” he said.
According to the minister, participants would not be restricted to receiving awards alone. Under the CM Maha Fund scheme, one lakh youths will be selected from among 30 lakh young people and provided loans ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh at lower interest rates.
“The primary objective of this initiative is to provide financial support to young people’s ideas and create opportunities for their actual implementation. We are committed to encouraging our youth to become entrepreneurs and innovators who create employment opportunities rather than merely seek jobs,” Mr Lodha said.